


Don't call me by that name! Unless...

by sensiblekitty



Series: Isco/Morata oneshots [2]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Cute, Fluff, Friendship/Love, M/M, Not Beta Read, spain nt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-25
Updated: 2016-01-25
Packaged: 2018-05-16 03:09:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5811394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sensiblekitty/pseuds/sensiblekitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Álvaro hates his nickname. Isco knows it, but accidentally calls him like that in front of the whole team. Read Álvaro's reaction to Isco. The story takes place in a random international break, after a La Roja match.</p><p>Based briefly on the following prompt: http://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/129351514768/imagine-person-a-of-your-otp-absolutely-despises</p><p>*hopes AO3 posts the fic this time*</p>
            </blockquote>





	Don't call me by that name! Unless...

**Author's Note:**

> -This fic was on my fanfic folder for a while...I had written the draft in Portuguese a few months ago, but translated to English and finished writing these days. Thus, if you find a weird word/expression, it's because I couldn't find anything equivalent to convey an idea.
> 
> -I dedicate this oneshot to all the Morisco fans! ;) The ship might be quite inactive, but we don't give up on them!~
> 
> (P.S: I have no idea on Álvaro's opinion of the name "Álvarito" and just followed the prompt idea lol.)

Álvaro, normally, is a calm man. In general, he manages well the adversities of the everyday life and keeps a good interpersonal relationship. Nevertheless, as every ordinary person, he owns a weak point that gets on his nerves. Never call him "Álvarito", because the mild-tempered and friendly young man turns into a beast. Well, at least that is what people told Isco. As a close friend of him, Isco can tell that is right. Even though he has never dared to call his teammate by that nickname, he has witnessed the change of behavior in the other man when people shouted Álvarito next to him and in every case, Álvaro spent days, weeks, even months without talking to them. Thus, Isco always reminded himself not to ever utter the nickname in front of him. In that day, however, he was too drunk, too happy to remember. Everything happened after a La Roja match, when the team celebrated the victory in the bar inside the hotel.

“Cheers to La Roja!” Alvaro raised his glass with beer.

“Cheers to Álvarito's goals!” Isco exclaimed and mimicked Álvaro's gesture. He was so happy with Álvaro's achievement of scoring twice in a match that the nickname accidentally slipped from his mouth. The midfielder, even so, was still sober enough to realize his act, widening his eyes and covering his mouth. The rest of the team, which also laughed and celebrated, went silent as soon as Isco shouted out 'Álvarito'. All the people in that room stared at Álvaro, except for Isco, who kept his mouth covered and looked down.

Isco was scared. Not that Álvaro would hit him, far from that. Both men knew each other for years, they were already adults, and Isco knew his friend had an amiable disposition. Despite fighting with others, after a while he forgave them. Nonetheless, Isco was afraid of losing Álvaro's trust. He feared that he would never call him again, as he has always stated the repulse for the name. In fact, to the midfielder, the striker was more than a friend. He has been in love with him for quite a while, he just hasn't confessed yet because he was waiting for the right time to do so. If Álvaro raged at him, Isco wasn't sure if they would keep their friendship on the same terms, let alone have the possibility of being something else. No, he couldn't let that happen.

His mind had to come up with a discurse of apologize. 'Álvi, _amigo_ , it wasn't on purpose. I am drunk, you know more than anyone that when I drink, I talk bullshit.' Or yet this one: 'forgive me, dear Álvi, I'm a dumb for calling you by your hateful nickname'. Isco chewed his lips and nodded at himself. Those were perfect lines. If he said them, Álvaro would accept his apology.

As the reaction hasn't come, and the room was uncomfortably quiet, Isco took a bit more of courage and searched for Álvaro. The current number 7 player kept his head down, his eyes fixed to the ground, so he could hide his face from the ones around him. Even so, it was useless, because anyone could point out the blush that surrounded his face. Isco wondered if that reddish blush would mean either anger at his action or shame for being called out in public.

Álvaro raised his head as he noticed the change in the mood. He looked around the quiet room, seeking for the one who said the hated nickname. The taller man expected that, when he found Isco, he would argue with the shorter one and tell him off. When it happened, though, Álvaro's blush aggravated, and his face became red like a tomato. The other players stared at each other, and whispers brought life to the environment again. It was noticeable that some guys wanted to share their thoughts, while others surpressed their laughs, but nobody dared to say anything out loud. Nobody, except for Sergio Ramos.

“Well, well. It seems Álvaro liked being called 'Álvarito' by Isco." The defender patted on Álvaro's shoulders.

Álvaro drifted his look away from Isco and shrunk his shoulders. His face still kept the same intense reddish.

The whole room bursted into a laugh. 

“Who would have thought, huh, Álvarito..." Koke mocked his friend. "...that you actually enjoy this nickname?"

“Our Álvarito is the man of the match, and Isco is our hero!” Jordi added his contribution.

“Shut up! You two know very well that I hate this nickname.” Alvaro slammed his hand into the table, making the two friends stand up and move to another seat.

“Okay, guys, let's stop with the provocations; after all, it takes two to tango.” Iker clapped his hands and called for their attentions, so he could set peace to the situation. “If Álvaro doesn't like the nickname, we must respect him."

“You're right, captain. I apologize to Álvaro for calling him that way.” Isco slumped his shoulders, assuming his responsibility.

“I also want to apologize, Álvi." Koke looked down. "I have despising nicknames, too, that I wanna forget about, so I get how you feel."

“Me too. It wasn't intentional and we understand you hate it.” Jordi added.

Álvaro's expression lightened and he opened his lips in a half-smile.

“What, guys, it's okay. I'm not angry at all! Just don't call me like that again though.”

The three teammates nodded and smiled at one another relieved. After the issue was solved, everything returned to its normality and the room resumed its noisy atmosphere. When the men got tired, they called it a night and returned to their respective rooms in the hotel.

In Álvaro and Isco's case, they shared the same room; thus, they made their way together to the place, yet something still felt awkward between them. When Álvaro opened the room and entered, Isco joined right after and sat on his bed with his back straight. He was determined to clear things out. 

“Hey, I'm really sorry, Alvi.” Isco said with a serious tone. “I screwed up with you and did got on your nerves. It wasn't intentional, really.”

Álvaro didn't look at the midfielder. Instead, he opened his luggage and focused on arranging his clothes. “You don't have to apologize, Isco. I am not mad at you.” 

“If that's so, then, why are you so quiet and serious? Why are you avoiding me?” Isco asked from the bed beside him, stood up and approached the striker's bed. He rubbed Álvaro's arms and asked for his attention.

Álvaro sighed. Still avoiding his eyes, he drifted away and kept arranging his luggage. Isco realized Álvaro's body language message and returned to his bed, in which he lied, taking his phone from his pocket. The taller man stopped his tidying and leered into Isco's direction. 

“If you really want to know why I'm not facing you or why am I behaving like this..." Álvaro took a shirt, folded it and placed it in his luggage.

Isco stopped checking his phone and looked at him. 

“...It's because you give me reactions that nobody else does.” The striker continued, while he picked another shirt to fold.

The number 22 player frowned. Isco already expected his friend would be upset with him, but to say he gives him reactions was a new information, amusing at a certain rate.

“I don't get it.” He furrowed his brows.

Álvaro left the folded shirt on his bed and came to his friend's side, sitting beside him.

“Isco, I expected to be angry at you when you called me 'Álvarito'." He said, lowering his voice. "In fact, I didn't feel upset or rage when I heard you say it. On the opposite, I think I liked that you called me that."

“Really?” Isco widened his eyes.

“Uhum.” Álvaro nodded; a blush reappeared on his face.

“So, you are not mad at me!” Isco sighed with relief. He still had his friend by his side.

“Mad?! You know I'd never fight with you over a small issue like that.” Alvaro cleared the misunderstanding. Actually, that nickname annoyed him, but for an unknown reason, it sounded so good in Isco's voice that he enjoyed hearing it.

“So, does it mean I can call you Álvarito?” The shorter player grinned and looked at Álvaro with bright eyes. That gesture reminded him of a kid who asks their parents for a candy or a new toy. Except that in his case, the permission to refer him by that outrageous name was Isco’s "new candy".

“N-no!” Not only Álvaro's face, but also his neck became red as he heard that name once more in Isco's voice. “I-I mean, of course you can, but just sometimes, and only when it's just the two of us.”

“Yessss!” Isco hugged Álvaro tight, so tight that they both lost balance and lied in his bed.

“Wow, I almost thought you were gonna suffocate me.” Álvaro broke away from their hug and groaned.

“Sorry, Álvarito. I couldn’t resist; you are so cute right now.” Isco pulled him closer.

“I’m not cute. And don’t make this face, don’t make us be this close! Otherwise…”

“Otherwise what?” Isco asked and approached even more Álvaro, in a way that the shorter man could study the details of his face, such as that failure in his right eyebrow that annoyed him sometimes, those brownish eyes, his noise, those lips…

“Otherwise, I won’t resist my urge to kiss you and do other things.” Álvaro closed his eyes and started counting to ten, so he could come back to his senses.

“Are they part of the reactions I give to you?” Isco whispered on Álvaro’s ears.

Álvaro lost count of his number, as Isco’s whisper gave him shivers all over his body and distracted him from the activity. 

“Ugh, stop teasing me!” Álvaro opened his eyes and stared at Isco. “Yes, you make me feel like this, Isco. For years, I have been feeling like this, and so far, I have covered well. With you provoking me like now, though, I can’t put myself together.”

“You don’t have to do such an effort, Álvi, because I feel the same towards you. The difference is that I didn’t try to suppress it, but more like conformed myself into being just your friend.”

Álvaro cupped Isco’s face with his hands. “I’m not okay with just being your friend, Isco. Not after what you just said.”

Isco held Álvaro hands. He could hear the other man’s breath in synchrony to his own. He saw when Álvaro tilted his head so they could kiss, but he closed his eyes so he could feel the sensations of having Álvaro’s lips on his. The moment he has dreamed of for years was much better than he imagined. It wasn’t anything magical, rather…ordinary. Yet it was the best kiss he has ever had.

“How about we become boyfriends, then?” Isco suggested, after they broke from the kiss.

“Sounds fairly reasonable.” Álvaro agreed and resumed the kissing. 

That night, they couldn’t stop talking about their unresolved feelings for each other since they met. After an hour of non-stop rambling and mocking-with kisses in-between-, they fell asleep in each other’s arms.

* * *

The following day, the team met in front of the hotel, where the parked bus awaited for the members' arrival.

When Isco and Álvaro came and sat together, the shorter man couldn't hide the sadness that took over him.

“What's up, Isco? You look so sad.”

“I'm gonna miss you, Álvarito. Damn it, right when we get to be together, it's time for us to part again.” Isco pouted. Now he would have to be content with their usual internet conversations only.

Sergio, who sat a row in front of them, beside Iker, observed the two younger men. First, he looked at Isco, who seemed carefree despite the former night incident; then, he glanced at Álvaro, who, just like the night before, had a blush on his face. The defender laughed. 

“You see, Iker, how Álvaro reacts to Isco saying his most hated nickname?”

Iker didn't want to confess, but he was also spying on them. He wasn't doing that on purpose though. The team captain just got worried they would get in a fight, but apparently it was the other way round. 

“Yeah, I see they are on good terms, that's what matters. Just leave them alone, Sese." Iker poked Sergio.

“But it is so cute to watch them. They look like a young couple in love.”

“And you look like a doting father.”

“What about you, who look like a grumpy mother.” Sergio made a grimace to Iker.

“Fool!” Iker grinned and pushed the defender.

Iker resumed reading a magazine, while Sergio put his headphone on his ears. They pretended not to pay attention, but kept listening to the two 'children's' conversation. 

“Hey, calm down, Isco.” Álvaro squeezed his friend's hands. "We'll stay in touch like we always do."

“It is not the same thing..." Isco's lips quivered.

Alvaro wrapped his arms around Isco.

“I know, but at least, we can chat everyday.” Álvaro also wanted to add that he longed to see Isco's face every day, but kept to himself.

The midfielder recovered from his sad moment and looked at him with those same shiny eyes from the night before. “Can I call you Álvarito in our conversations?!” 

“Isco, do you want to get on my nerves?” Alvaro covered his face with his hands, as he heard the other man say it loud. 

“No, Álvi, don't take me bad...I just find you so cute when you look like this, all shy.” He caressed Álvaro's hair. 

“It's not funny at all!” Álvaro groaned and shrugged. “Okay then, once in a while, I'm fine with you calling me in public...”

“I love you.” Isco whispered in his ears.

Isco's words resonated like music to the striker. They told that to each other frequently, but it always made him happy to hear those three words. Álvaro could pretty much give Isco a cinematographic kiss on his lips right there, in front of everyone. On second thought, he held back, as it would be bad for them both.

“I love you too.” Álvaro held Isco's hand on his and pulled him closer, so the midfielder could rest his head on his shouders. They stayed embraced like that during the whole trip, enjoying each second of their moment together. 

That was how the trip followed, after which each one came back to their respective routines, but with a little difference in their relationship status, and an affectionate nickname that sealed their secret code.

**Author's Note:**

> -I'm not sure how it turned out. Personally, I didn't like the kiss part, huh...I'll probably edit later on. What did you guys think overall? Too fluffy and sweet? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed somehow...  
> -Comments and kudos are always welcome!
> 
> -Perhaps, some of you follow my other fic, AUD. I just wanted to say that it might take a while for the next update, because I kinda lost my inspiration for the Isco/Morata plot. -.-


End file.
